Southeast and East Asia (SEA)

IPEN supports its POs throughout Southeast and East Asia, where rapid development is contributing to increasing environmental health concerns, including around chemical and plastics production, pesticides, and plastic waste.

From the tropical, volcanic islands of Southeast Asia to the mountains and plains of mainland East Asia, geography has shaped the cultural mix of Indigenous traditions, ancient philosophies, and influences from historical trade routes and colonialism. The region is also highly diverse linguistically: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean are spoken primarily in East Asia, while Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese, Khmer, and Austronesian languages (e.g., Malay, Indonesian, and Filipino) are major languages spoken throughout Southeast Asia.